A fresh controversy has erupted in Gombe State as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) exchanged opposing claims over the political status of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.
While the PDP insists Pantami is now a member of the opposition party and its governorship candidate, the APC maintains that he remains a member of the ruling party.
Addressing journalists in Gombe on Tuesday, PDP spokesman Abdulkadir Ahmad Dukku said Pantami had formally resigned from the APC and was fully registered with the PDP.
Dukku said the opposition party possessed documentary evidence of Pantami’s resignation, including an acknowledgement allegedly issued by his ward chairman.
However, in a separate briefing, APC State Publicity Secretary Moses Kyari Bolde challenged the claim, arguing that the alleged resignation did not follow due process.
Bolde said 25 of the 27 members of the APC executive committee in Pantami Ward had publicly stated that they neither received nor deliberated on any resignation letter from the former minister.
According to him, the ward chairman claimed the letter was delivered by a third party on May 23 despite being dated May 19, while members of the executive committee were yet to see a copy.
“It is our position that Professor Ali Isa Pantami remains a member of the APC until all due processes are properly followed and verified,” Bolde said.
The APC spokesman also rejected reports that President Bola Tinubu had endorsed Pantami’s defection and governorship ambition, describing such claims as inconsistent with the President’s loyalty to the APC.
The dispute comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the next governorship election in Gombe State.